Marching Forth!

Man is unlike all other created beings.  Sometimes humans are touted as the "top of the evolutionary ladder," but it does not take a PhD to see the the distance between the rungs of primates and humans is an impossible jump.  Man is a world apart in complexity, thinking, morality, philosophy, technology, and especially spiritually.  Human beings are more than beasts, even if we choose to act like them or are deceived to think somehow, someway, we share ancestry with them. The Bible says God made man in His own image and breathed into Adam a living soul.  He was formed out of the dust of the ground, not from some lesser species.  The distance between the rungs of man and beast is an eternal expanse, impossible to navigate through the sheer force of natural selection.  Solomon wrote of God and men in Ecclesiastes 3:11 :  " He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work th...

The phrase "divine appointment" is commonly used by Christians to acknowledge God's hand in orchestrating meaningful moments.  God does not employ "luck" or "coincidence" to accomplish His will, but leads us with or without our knowledge.  These divine arrangements do not only go one way.  Sometimes God has used me to share words through which others benefited, and God has used many to minister to me.  No matter your calling or role in the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit dwelling within every believer has the wisdom and power to speak everlasting truth through you with power and authority. When you think of "divine appointments," do you view yourself typically as the one who imparts or the one who receives?  It would be supremely improbable anyone could find themselves smack in the middle.  With the amount of writing, teaching, and conversing I do, I would say I tend towards the "imparting" side.  To be balanced, I need to make an...

I have lived my life in an age of convenience.  Some of the definitions of "convenient" found in the Merriam Webster dictionary are, " suited to personal comfort or to easy performance ; suited to a particular situation;  affording accommodation or advantage ."  The world panders to our natural selfishness.  We want things to be easy, comfortable, and advantageous.  Most people are happy to pay more for greater convenience.  We complain when the seal on the tomato sauce or the peanut butter doesn't have suitable sized tabs for easy removal.  We avoid peak-hour traffic when we can because it is a great inconvenience.  Today was a lesson in convenience I won't soon forget. My eldest son began his work experience today at Macquarie University.  My wife had planned on accompanying him on the bus and making sure he arrived at his destination.  Riding the bus in Sydney can be tricky because there are no announcements of an upcoming stop or ...

Recently I discovered a connection I had never noticed before:  the correlation between receiving mercy from God and courageous strength.  Many times in scripture the exhortation is given by God and devout souls who feared God:  "Be strong!"  The glory of young men is their strength, but it is not by lifting weights and physical exercise that brings this strength.  Spiritual strength is derived only from God through faith and experienced as we obey. The Bible is filled with examples of people who triumphed over their enemies - not because they were physically stronger, had larger armies, better weapons or training, or held a strategic advantage - but because they trusted God and obeyed Him.  There are also examples of people who faced unbearable suffering and horrendous circumstances.  Strength from God was needed just to endure the day, for their lives hung by a thread.  This is the sad condition faced by God's people in the Lamentations of Jer...